Latest news with #RealizetheDream
Newsweek
03-07-2025
- General
- Newsweek
Martin Luther King III and Family: Freedom, Summer of Service, and Building the Beloved Community Together
As summer unfolds and July 4 approaches, our thoughts turn to freedom, family, and the profound power of service. Together, our family—Martin, Arndrea, and our daughter Yolanda—invite you to join us in working to fulfill Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King's vision for a Beloved Community: a society built on respect, justice, and dignity. The Beloved Community that was envisioned isn't an abstract idea—it begins in our own homes. It's reflected in how we treat one another, how we listen, and how we resolve differences with empathy and love. Home is where we first learn that love is the heartbeat of a just and moral society. It's where values are cultivated not only through words but through action. In everyday moments—small and large—we practice what we preach and begin to heal divisions. The greatest gift a family can offer isn't material wealth or recognition, but something far more lasting: the ability to love unconditionally, to serve wholeheartedly, and to work together to build a better world. Martin Luther King III, his wife Arndrea Waters King, and daughter Yolanda Renée King participate in a vigil at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on April 4, 2022, in Washington, D.C. Martin Luther King III, his wife Arndrea Waters King, and daughter Yolanda Renée King participate in a vigil at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on April 4, 2022, in Washington, a time when our world feels increasingly divided—by race, class, politics—family and service remain two of the strongest forces for healing. When parents and children come together with purpose, they model the power of unity and lead by example. We also recognize the urgency of the moment: —Nearly half of U.S. adults report feeling lonely, according to the office of the U.S. Surgeon General; —The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports youth mental health is at crisis levels; —24/7 media feeds outrage but rarely offers solutions. To counter these trends, we invite you to join us this summer in the Realize the Dream (RTD) initiative—a call to action for families to serve together. Our goal of 100 million service hours by 2029 is part of a living tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s 100th birthday, honoring his legacy through action and compassion. It's about transforming love into action, turning disconnection into belonging, and fostering a culture of service. Realize the Dream flips the script and replaces fear with action. It's an antidote to helplessness—transforming inward pain into outward service and scroll fatigue into real social connection. RTD rewrites the narrative: —Instead of fear, we offer hope through action; —Instead of scrolling, we inspire real-world change; —Instead of spectating, we foster belonging. Whether it's cleaning a park, volunteering at a food bank, mentoring a child, or advocating for justice, these acts of service build the bonds that hold us together. They remind us that we don't have to wait for someone else to fix our communities—we have the power to heal them ourselves. And when the passion of youth combines with the wisdom and resilience of those who have walked before, movements become unstoppable. This summer, as a family we are volunteering through the Drum Major Institute by supporting civic education workshops that equip young people with the tools to advocate for change in their own communities. We are also volunteering in rural schools in the Masai Mara of Kenya. Together, we can confront the greatest challenges of our time: climate change, racial injustice, and inequality. By building bridges across generations and taking action rooted in compassion, we can move forward together. Our living legacy isn't just about what we leave behind; it's about how we live today. It's about showing up, loving one another, and empowering the next generation to lead. Legacy becomes truly alive through our daily choices and our commitment to service. We urge every parent, every guardian, and every family to reflect on the legacy you want to create. Join the Realize the Dream initiative. Discover the transformative power of service. Because when we serve together, we don't just strengthen our communities—we strengthen the bonds that unite us as families, and as a nation. Martin Luther King III is the oldest son of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. He is a thought leader on the world stage. With the astounding display of social injustice, violence, and confusion in recent years, perhaps at no other time in contemporary history has our world needed the clear-thinking and solutions-oriented voice of civil rights advocate and global humanitarian Martin Luther King III. Yolanda Renée King is the sole grandchild of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King—and is just as passionate. She has passionately addressed mass gatherings in protests against gun violence, homelessness, and inhumane treatment of refugees seeking asylum on the U.S. southern border. Arndrea Waters King has dedicated herself to public service as a passionate leader in the global fight against inequity, injustice, hate crimes, and all forms of pain. Throughout her life, Arndrea has consistently worked on behalf of those who have been marginalized by helping them find—and collectively use—their voices for change. The views expressed in this article are the writers' own.
USA Today
30-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Exploring the gulf between Martin Luther King Jr. and Donald Trump in divided nation
Exploring the gulf between Martin Luther King Jr. and Donald Trump in divided nation Show Caption Hide Caption Martin Luther King III on MLK Day: 'We have a lot of work to do' The 2025 inauguration falls on the same day as MLK Day this year. Martin Luther King III reflects on the state of the nation. When news broke that Donald Trump had been the target of an assassination attempt at a campaign rally last summer, Martin Luther King Jr.'s son was among the voices that decried the violence. "Political violence has no place in our society and country," Martin Luther King III wrote in a post on X. "It undermines the foundations of our democracy." 'This is America': For more stories on race and justice in America, sign up for USA TODAY's newsletter The second child of the country's most prominent civil rights icon knows all too well the cost of political violence. When he was 10, his father was murdered on a Tennessee balcony and became part of a group of leaders, activists and Democratic politicians, assassinated in the 1960s. 'If President Kennedy and Medgar Evers and Malcolm X, Dad and Robert Kennedy had lived, we would be on a totally different trajectory,' King said. 'These were people who were all cut down at a very critical time, not just in our nation, but in terms of where they were moving toward.' Last July, Trump sustained an injury when the would-be assassin's bullet grazed his ear. He went on to win the election and resume the presidency. He shared his 2025 Inauguration Day with Martin Luther King Jr., whose life and legacy are celebrated each January with a federal holiday. Yet King has said there is a great gulf between his father and the president. He lamented the country's current trajectory in an interview with USA TODAY. 'By and large, in our nation, there is a goodness, a righteousness, a desire to care about our fellow human being,' King said. 'We're on a course that appears to be temporarily out of kilter. We must, at some point, make a course correction.' 'What can each of us do?' Martin Luther King Jr. often spoke of creating 'the beloved community,' a society in which 'men can live together without fear,' as he wrote in a 1966 essay. Today, his 67-year-old son says building that community is a crucial and ongoing effort. He has a dedicated partner in his wife, Arndrea Waters King, president of the Drum Major Institute, a nonprofit founded by Martin Luther King Jr. in 1961. The pair launched the Realize the Dream initiative last year, a national movement with a goal of inspiring 100 million hours of service by January 2029. King and Waters King, together with brothers Marc and Craig Kielburger, released a book titled 'What is My Legacy?' and an accompanying podcast called 'My Legacy.' The Kings sat for a video interview with USA TODAY on May 19, a follow-up to conversations with the publication in 2024 in the lead up to a contentious presidential election. In August, Waters King told USA TODAY she felt the country was 'frighteningly divided.' Four months into Trump's second term, she said that is still the case. Opinion: Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered 57 years ago. America still needs his wisdom. 'When you think about most immigrants that are frightened, in some cases for children to go to school. Schools, churches, hospitals – those should all be safe places and times,' Waters King said. 'Whenever you start othering people, taking out their humanity, then we're going down a slippery slope.' Amid strife, King said he looks to the example set by his father, who faced threats to his life throughout the years of his political activism. In 1958, during a book signing in New York City, Martin Luther King Jr. was stabbed by Izola Curry, a woman later diagnosed with schizophrenia. 'After he was stabbed,' King said of his father, 'he still came back and advocated for forgiveness, for challenging us to create a better climate.' 'So,' he added, 'I guess what I'm saying is, I'm sure many people are concerned about the potential of political violence. But we need to reflect on, well, what do we do so that political violence does not manifest and come to fruition? What can each of us do?' In the public eye Days into his new term, President Trump signed an executive order calling for government files related to the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and King Jr. to be released 'without delay.' The King family has objected to the release, saying they want a chance to review files before they become public. JFK files released: Here's what they say about the former president's assassination Descendants of the civil rights icon have declined to speak in interviews, including this recent sit-down with USA TODAY, on their concerns about the files. They have said it is a deeply personal subject. When asked how he feels broadly about the lifelong spotlight that came as a result of his father's prominence, King told USA TODAY, 'It's my life. This is what I know.' 'Certainly, it's always easier to navigate through life without having recognition,' he continued. 'But I'm grateful, really, for the opportunity to foster this amazing legacy that we have. And probably more grateful and thankful that we have a daughter that wants to be engaged, is engaged.' King and Waters King have one daughter, Yolanda Renee King, 17, named after King's late sister. Legacy is the throughline in the Kings' work, as they look past the next four years and even generations ahead. In considering how they hope to be remembered, both said they are steadily building on a foundation set by King's mother and father. 'We all have a legacy. We all have a voice,' Waters King said. 'It's literally about what we do, how we build our lives every day.'
